A Brief History – 1905-1952
I wonder how many folks have walked past the Waterside Miners Club on Old Duntiblae Road and stared at the old house that sits almost hidden in the grounds on the opposite side of the road. Drivers will be more liable to keep their gaze on the road at that point to safely negotiate past the big old tree on the sharp bend.
My name is Matt Wilson and my family has a link with this house and the surrounding property that I would like to share.
My name is Matt Wilson and my family has a link with this house and the surrounding property that I would like to share.
The house was built around the 1700s. My family's connection began in 1905, when my grandfather, James Wilson, took up residence there shortly after his marriage to Elizabeth Aldridge.
James and Elizabeth had six children: Peggy, Sarah, William, Matthew, Alice and Mary.
The land that the house occupied stretched about halfway to the footbridge over the Luggie and also the field on the opposite side of the road, where the Waterside Miners Social Club was built in the 1960s.
My father, Matthew Wilson, told me that historically the house had been used as a staging post for cattle drovers on their way to the markets in Glasgow. The house gave accommodation to the weary drovers, while the cattle were corralled safely in the adjacent field.
James and Elizabeth had six children: Peggy, Sarah, William, Matthew, Alice and Mary.
The land that the house occupied stretched about halfway to the footbridge over the Luggie and also the field on the opposite side of the road, where the Waterside Miners Social Club was built in the 1960s.
My father, Matthew Wilson, told me that historically the house had been used as a staging post for cattle drovers on their way to the markets in Glasgow. The house gave accommodation to the weary drovers, while the cattle were corralled safely in the adjacent field.
During the time that my family was in residence, the ground at the Duntiblae house was used as a nursery to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers for selling on to local shops and markets. Old photographs show an array of large-scale greenhouses, cultivated beds and various odd-shaped outhouses, one with a chimney stack.
My cousin, John McCall, who was born in the house in 1932, has provided me with a copy of the price list for these items, printed in 1939. This list shows a wide range of bedding plants on sale then.
My cousin, John McCall, who was born in the house in 1932, has provided me with a copy of the price list for these items, printed in 1939. This list shows a wide range of bedding plants on sale then.
I do not have the exact timeline of when these activities gradually ran down. My father was the last sibling to live there (with his wife, Jean, and children, Mary and me) after my grandfather died in 1932. I know at this point my father was employed as a charge nurse at Stoneyetts Hospital, near Chryston.
In 1952, the house was finally vacated and my family moved to the newly built council house in Taig Road. At that time the criterion for qualifying for a council house meant that my father had to have the Duntiblae house designated as unfit for habitation, thereby bringing to an end around two hundred years of family life, with all the laughter and memories of the many folk who had lived there.
In 1952, the house was finally vacated and my family moved to the newly built council house in Taig Road. At that time the criterion for qualifying for a council house meant that my father had to have the Duntiblae house designated as unfit for habitation, thereby bringing to an end around two hundred years of family life, with all the laughter and memories of the many folk who had lived there.
When my sister and I were young, our father liked to keep us on the straight and narrow by telling us to treat people as we would like them to treat us and not to tell lies, or misbehave. When we asked him if he had ever told a lie, he told us the story of the huge boulder that sat inside one of the flower beds.
This boulder had one almost flat surface that had an inscription of some kind, which was totally illegible. He really found it awkward to work around this stone and decided that the time had come to get rid of it. Fortified by two plates of porridge, he armed himself with his trusty heavy hammer and the annoying obstacle was reduced to many smaller pieces and discreetly chucked into the Luggie.
A month or two later, half a dozen or so folk wearing woolly hats and carrying maps arrived at the side gate of the garden. They told my father that they were from Glasgow University and were trying to locate the Martyr's Stone. When they asked him if he had any idea of its whereabouts, he shook his head and said, "No."
Mary and I were told that this was the only time he had told a lie. Our question was answered.
This boulder had one almost flat surface that had an inscription of some kind, which was totally illegible. He really found it awkward to work around this stone and decided that the time had come to get rid of it. Fortified by two plates of porridge, he armed himself with his trusty heavy hammer and the annoying obstacle was reduced to many smaller pieces and discreetly chucked into the Luggie.
A month or two later, half a dozen or so folk wearing woolly hats and carrying maps arrived at the side gate of the garden. They told my father that they were from Glasgow University and were trying to locate the Martyr's Stone. When they asked him if he had any idea of its whereabouts, he shook his head and said, "No."
Mary and I were told that this was the only time he had told a lie. Our question was answered.
Two horses were kept inside the house. They were very quiet and never caused any mess, as they were made of wood. Jock and Jean were a pair of rocking horses, mounted on a single base. I was always disappointed to have been too young to remember them, or play on them, but Mary remembers having this unique brace to entertain her when playing outside wasn't possible. Their final destination has sadly remained a mystery.
Fifty metres to the west of the house, beyond the area used as a pigsty, on the steep bank of the Luggie, two caves had been excavated at some point in time. My father told me that some locals had been brave enough, or poor enough, to extract coal from a seam deep inside. There have been anecdotal tales of voices being heard at night in the nearby smiddy dwelling house, supposedly the daredevil miners calling out to each other.
Part of the house on the lower level was occupied by Joseph Devine, his wife and three daughters. The Devines moved out of the Duntiblae house to live in a council house in Cairn View, just before World War Two.
Part of the house on the lower level was occupied by Joseph Devine, his wife and three daughters. The Devines moved out of the Duntiblae house to live in a council house in Cairn View, just before World War Two.
All photographs from Matt Wilson's collection apart from the aerial photograph by Edward Z Smith
Layout plan and nursery price list by John McCall
Thanks to the current owner, Willie Hunter, for permitting access for photography
Layout plan and nursery price list by John McCall
Thanks to the current owner, Willie Hunter, for permitting access for photography
I have enjoyed compiling this piece of family history relating to the Duntiblae house and hope it will be added to at some point in the future.
Matt Wilson 2021
Copyright 2021 Matt Wilson